Goodbye Is Not Forever
by unicorn-skydancer08
Summary: Tragedy strikes when Melly loses her dear father in a horrible accident. Melly is devastated, but Blurr and all her Autobot friends are there for her. With their help, she will find love and happiness again.
1. Chapter 1

**GOODBYE IS NOT FOREVER  
**

_I've missed writing about Melly and the Autobots, and I've struggled to come up with new ideas for stories. So, when this story __came to mind, I couldn't resist. It took longer to write out the first chapter than I'd thought, but it's turned out great. At least I think so. This is where you read more about Melly's personal life; it discusses her background in further detail, and I'm sure you'll find it rather interesting. For the record, this takes place after the series has ended, so that means Sari is in her teenage form, and Prowl and Blurr are back. _

_Also, Megatron and the Decepticons will not be involved here. This is where the characters deal with something a little more personal, closer to home.  
_

**

* * *

**

**Characters (with exceptions) © Hasbro and Entertainment Rights**

**Story © unicorn-skydancer08**

_**All rights reserved. **_

* * *

**Chapter 1  
**

The last day Melly Manchester saw her father alive started off like any other day.

The morning was clear and crisp. Melly was in the Tuscan-style kitchen of her house, putting breakfast together. Presently, her brother Matthew breezed into the room.

Though Matthew was older than Melly by two years, anyone would have taken the two for twins. They were roughly the same height; they both had the same bright blue eyes, the same reddish-blonde hair, the same winning smile, even the same sprinkle of freckles. However, Melly wore a set of wire-rimmed glasses, while Matthew had never had the need for glasses in his life. Also, their taste in clothes varied. While Melly preferred casual, comfortable clothes, Matthew was much trendier. That day, for instance, he was garbed in black, close-fitting jeans, black ankle boots, a black motorcycle vest over a white T-shirt, and black wristbands, with a jaunty black cap to top it all off.

Judging from Matthew's style, you would hardly have guessed that the guy was a professional ballet dancer. It sounded crazy to a lot of people, but it was true. As a kid, Matthew attended a certified dance school for boys, and he'd performed in several shows. To this day, he still gave live performances here and there. Matthew didn't know why, but there was something about the world of dancing that really enticed him. When he danced, he felt free, untethered to the rest of the world, and he was able to express himself in a way that he couldn't with words.

Needless to say, his friends gave him a lot of grief about it, especially in his early youth. For the longest time, his own father attempted to get him involved in more "manly" things, like football, or cars. But Matthew was no sports buff. He could barely even hold a football without dropping it, and he didn't understand half the rules and terminology.

As for cars, that was more of Melly's specialty.

Melly, while she was no dancer (she was forever saying she was born with two left feet), was a genius when it came to cars and technology. She knew every component of a car by heart, and she could fix one all by herself with no trouble. With computers, she once put together one of her very own, with her own two hands, purely from scratch, and it actually worked, too.

Beyond that, the girl was a whiz at science and math. At school, her grades had always been practically flawless. While Matthew resented his sister for being so outrageously smart, he would have given anything to have her brains. When they were very small kids, Melly once took a bunch of colored markers and scribbled math equations all over the living room walls. Matthew ended up being the one to get the licking for that, because no one would believe that a three-year-old could have done the math.

Ultimately, Melly wound up graduating with top marks from one of the country's most prestigious colleges, and today, she held a well-paying job at Sumdac Systems.

She really stood out in that company, because she was the youngest to ever be recruited there.

This morning, Melly was very anxious to leave for work—not just for the sake of a paycheck, but also because she was looking forward to meeting up with Sari Sumdac, the daughter of her boss and her best friend in the whole, wide world, as well as all her Autobot pals. She especially hoped to get a glimpse today of her love, Blurr.

As an Autobot Intelligence Officer, Blurr was often extremely busy, but he made sure to visit Melly whenever he could. Some would have deemed it crazy, even downright unnatural, for a mere human and a titanic robot to be involved in a romantic relationship. But neither Blurr nor Melly cared. It made no difference to Melly who Blurr was, or _what_ he was; she loved him nevertheless, and she was sure he felt the same way for her. She found him a thousand times more interesting than any human guy she'd ever met.

"Hey, sis," Matthew greeted her as he entered the kitchen. "What's cooking?"

"Ah, nothing too fancy," Melly replied nonchalantly. "Just sausages and scrambled eggs, with a bit of French toast on the side."

"Are you sure it's edible?" he half-teased, as he strode up to her and stood by her side.

She lifted an eyebrow to him. "Do you doubt my culinary skills, buster?"

"Well, I certainly haven't forgotten what had happened the last time you were on breakfast duty, unsupervised. Even roadkill tasted better."

Melly took a swing at her brother with the spatula, but of course he dodged her just in time.

"Hey, hey, you two," a deep voice cut in just then. "I don't want to have to serve as adjudicator for you again."

Both siblings simultaneously turned their heads, to see their father standing in the doorway of the kitchen, watching them intently. Marc Manchester, a tall, well-built man in his early forties, with a bright orange hairline of his own that was only beginning to recede, was more than just their father. Since Melly and Matthew's mom walked out on them, when Melly was only four, that left Marc alone with the responsibility of caring for two kids. In a way, he was both their father and their mother, as well as their cook, maid, coach, chauffeur, and their referee.

But most of all, he was their best friend. They did almost everything together, and Melly had always looked up to him and admired him.

As Marc sauntered into the room himself, he declared to his children, "Honestly, Melly, Matthew—can't you ever get along? Even now, as grown-ups?"

"Of course, we get along, Dad," said Melly sweetly. "We get along perfectly! Right, Matthew?"

"We're like a pair of angels," Matthew added, putting his hands together and lifting his eyes to the ceiling in mock innocence.

Marc shook his head, but he couldn't repress a small smile. "I swear," the older man murmured, "sometimes I think you're kids all over again."

Then he shifted his attention to the food. "Mmm…that looks wonderful, Melly! You're becoming quite the cook."

"Well, I learned from the best." Melly smiled at her father.

She'd learned just about everything she knew from him. Marc was the one who taught her all about the world, especially the world of cars and machinery. He was the one who taught her how to change a tire, replace a battery, maintain the proper fluid levels, and how the overall car was put together. Melly had spent most of her childhood with him in the little auto shop not far from their house, where he worked. Even though Marc now held a much higher-paying job at the steel mills on the other side of town, he still liked to tinker with cars in his spare time.

Cars were essentially in his blood, and now they were in Melly's blood, too.

"How much would you like, Dad?" Melly asked as she picked up the pan that held the first completed batch of eggs.

"I got a big day ahead of me, so load me up." Marc took his seat at the table, and Melly made sure to fill his plate well.

"Aren't you going to save any for me?" Matthew asked as he sat down himself on the other side.

"It's every man for himself, son," Marc said, before he picked up his fork and knife and dug eagerly into the food.

"Don't worry, Matthew," Melly teased, now pouring their father some freshly brewed coffee, "I'll see if I can save you at least a few crusts, and maybe half a sausage, if you're lucky." But she made sure her brother got a decent serving of everything, too. Matthew slugged her playfully in the arm as she was leaving, and naturally, she slugged him back.

Despite their almost constant squabbles, they really did care very much about each other; one could hardly imagine living without the other.

The three of them had a good time eating and chatting with one another, their chairs snug around the table. Melly felt a sense of warmth and security. She loved it when they were together like this, the way a real family should be. The only thing missing was her mother. Melly thought of her, for no less than the hundred-millionth time, and wondered where she was now.

She was too young to remember her mother, the way Matthew and Marc did, but every now and again a memory would come to mind.

Melly recalled that her mother had some very bad habits, her habit of drinking being her worst. Matthew would tell her that their mom would sometimes go for days, weeks, even months without touching a drop; but then, all at once, she would break loose and get drunk out of her mind. Melly remembered how her parents would sometimes argue loudly with each other, and her mom would scream and smash up everything in sight. During those times, Melly would try to hide under her bed, or else she would seek refuge in Matthew's room.

Then, one day, without warning, their mom took off and never came back. She never even left a note, or anything of the sort. She simply walked out on her family, taking only a handful of her belongings with her, and that was the end of it. Marc eventually petitioned the courts for full custody of his kids, and it had been just Melly, her brother, and her dad ever since.

Melly tried to shrug off the bad feeling, tried to focus on more pleasant things—like Sari, and Blurr—and she began shoveling her eggs down a little faster.

When breakfast was over, and the table had been cleared up, the family started to head off in their individual directions.

Matthew was the first to leave the house. He bade Marc a rather hasty goodbye before the door banged shut behind him; for some reason, Matthew never seemed able to close a door quietly. But Melly, even though she didn't have much time to spare herself, took time to embrace her father, give him a kiss on his cheek, and tell him, "I love you, Dad."

"Take care, sweetheart," Marc answered warmly.

As Melly was heading down the street, she paused briefly to give her father one final wave, as he stood in the open doorway, and he waved back.

That was the last they ever saw of one another.


	2. Chapter 2

**GOODBYE IS NOT FOREVER  
**

_Here it is, chapter two. This came out super-fast, because I knew exactly what would happen. I hope you have some tissues handy, because this chapter is a hard-hitter, and it goes downhill from here._

_At the request of one of my readers, I made Blurr's rapid speech more evident here, but I added hyphens between the words so you can still understand what he's saying.  
_

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**

**Characters (with exceptions) © Hasbro and Entertainment Rights**

**Story © unicorn-skydancer08**

_**All rights reserved. **_

* * *

**Chapter 2  
**

As Melly was making her way down the bustling street, a bright blue car suddenly swerved out of nowhere and cut directly in front of her, making her jump a mile in surprise. But she quickly got over her surprise when she recognized the car's color and design. Sure enough, a familiar voice said, "Excuse-me-miss-but-might-I-by-any-chance-offer-you-a-lift?"

It all seemed to come out as one word, but Melly just laughed and said heartily, "Hi, Blurr! It's good to see you again."

In the wink of an eye, the car shifted its shape, so that a towering blue-and-black robot now stood before her. Even now, Melly was fascinated to see the whole transformation in motion, how the pieces were shifted around so that one thing became quite another. Once Blurr had resumed his robotic form, he bent down and easily scooped Melly up from the ground. She didn't hesitate to hug his chest plate, and he hugged her just tight enough to not squish her. Melly sensed they were getting a few stares from the public, but she paid it no mind.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, when she was looking up properly into Blurr's bright blue optics.

"I-was-just-cruising-around-keeping-an-eye-out-as-usual-for-any-suspicious-activity-in-the-vicinity-when-I noticed-you-walking. You-seemed-lost-so-I-thought-I'd-swing-by-and-help-you-out." Most of Melly's friends considered Blurr's habit of talking a mile a second quite annoying, and extremely difficult to understand, but Melly only thought of it as cute and funny.

She chuckled again as she answered, "You silly! You know I can find my way to Sumdac Systems, with a blindfold."

She then added, "However, I would appreciate a ride, if that's okay with you. I'll get to work much faster that way." In her mind, she added, _And spend at least a few minutes with you._

"Your-wish-is-my-command-Miss-Manchester." Blurr set her back down gently on the pavement, then morphed once more into his car shape. Melly climbed into the driver's seat, even though Blurr didn't need her to steer him, and she made sure to buckle up. Blurr had initially protested at the idea of being equipped with safety belts (being a racer, he considered safety belts to be a rather degrading feature), but in the end he was persuaded, especially when Melly mentioned to him she would be a lot safer when riding with him.

It seemed to the other Autobots that Blurr was willing to do anything for Melly's sake. Some of them half-believed he would jump right off a bridge if she asked him to.

Before he met Melly, Blurr used to have little to no use for other robots, let alone humans. He was known to be a lone ranger, doing solely what he considered to be his duty. No one knew what it was Blurr saw in Melly; Blurr admitted once or twice that he didn't even know himself. After all, Melly was no different from any other human girl. She wasn't the most attractive, nor was she considered among the socially elite. But she was friendly, good-natured, honest, patient, a hard worker, and she certainly knew a thing or two about cars.

Somehow, she managed to break through Blurr's defenses, and soften him up. Once, she'd put her very life on the line to save Blurr, when Blurr was nearly killed at the hands of the Decepticons—the evil robots who were their sworn enemies. Had it not been for the girl, he would have undoubtedly ended up as nothing more than a heap of scrap metal.

Blurr now considered himself in Melly's debt, even though Melly reminded him that he'd already saved _her_ life more than once, and thus she had simply returned the favor.

"Try to not go too fast," Melly said, just before Blurr's engine revved. "I'd hate to have to pay for a speeding ticket—or have your gorgeous paint job scratched and scuffed up."

"That-will-never-happen," Blurr's voice reassured her, and with that, they were off.

As Blurr wove his way expertly through the city, he and Melly enjoyed a little private conversation, about what they were up to these days. They didn't talk about anything very serious or significant, but it made Melly feel a world of good just to talk to him and hear him talk back—even though she did have to ask him to repeat what he'd just said two or three times.

All too soon, they arrived at their destination. "Well, Blurr," Melly said, consulting her watch, "you managed to save me ten minutes."

"And-at-the-rate-you-were-going-you-would-have-had-only-five-seconds-to-spare," he replied.

She gave the car a playful slap as she was climbing out. But she thanked him for his assistance, all the same.

"Blurr's-Cab-at-your-service!"

Melly smiled. "When might I have the privilege of seeing you again?"

"How-about-later-this-evening-when-you-are-through-with-work? I-don't-plan-to-be-heavily-engaged-in-much-else-and-I'll-be-happy-to-drive-you-home-if-you-like."

"Yeah, that sounds good," said Melly. "Maybe we can even stop for a drink along the way."

Of course, Blurr knew she meant stopping for a soda, and high-quality oil for him. Melly was the last person on earth to touch a drop of alcohol; she was always saying it had already given her enough grief, her mother and her ex-boyfriend from college having been badly affected by it, and besides, she found alcohol about as drinkable as crude oil mixed with dog vomit.

"How does six o' clock sound?"

"Great! I'll-see-you-then. Tell-the-rest-of-the-crew-I-say-hello-when-you-see-them."

"Will do. Take care, Blurr."

"You-too-Melly." With that, the blue car backed itself into the road, and zipped away.

Melly waited on the pavement until the car had disappeared from her sight, then she turned and headed into the building, her heart considerably lighter than it had been a moment ago.

* * *

It was a very busy day at Sumdac Systems. Melly was kept well on her toes throughout the morning, and it wasn't until she was on her lunch break at noon that she got a chance to see Sari. As the daughter of Isaac Sumdac, Sari was a fairly regular sight around the building, though Melly was the only member of her father's staff whom she got along well with.

Melly remembered when she and Sari met for the first time, how Sari was only seven years old, and a rather small scrap of a kid. Now, she'd grown—or "upgraded", as the Autobots called it—into a tall, attractive teenager. As half-robot, the process through puberty had been much faster for her. But the way she looked this afternoon, you could hardly tell she was anything robotic, save for her eyes, which were an unusually bright, fluorescent blue. "Hey, girlfriend!" Melly greeted her cheerfully, as soon as the two girls met up.

"Hey, Melly." Sari smiled, but somehow it wasn't quite the same bright, effervescent smile.

"How goes it with you today?"

Sari gave a half-hearted shrug. "All right, I suppose."

Melly's smile faded somewhat. "Are you okay, Sari?" she asked worriedly. "Is there something wrong?"

"Wrong?" Sari echoed. She didn't hesitate to shake her head, swishing her red pigtails back and forth, and refute, "Oh, no, no, everything's fine. Everything's cool."

"Are you sure?"

As if to change the subject, Sari asked, "Did you meet with Blurr today?"

"Yeah, I did. He gave me a lift this morning to work, and we're going to hang out a bit later this evening. Why do you ask?"

For some reason, Sari looked glum. "I guess you two are really serious about each other, aren't you?" she murmured, so softly that Melly almost didn't hear her.

"Is there a problem with that?"

Sari said nothing, but her cheeks were faintly pink. Then it slowly dawned on Melly. "Hey," she said softly, "does this have anything to do with Bumblebee?"

Again, Sari said nothing, but Melly got her answer from the look on her friend's face. Melly understood that, since Sari had matured, her feelings toward Bumblebee had changed significantly. She was beginning to view the black-and-yellow bot as more than a friend. "Why don't you just tell him, Sari? Surely, there's no harm in letting him know how you really feel."

Sari hung her head dejectedly. "You know I can't, Melly. If I tell him, he and all the other guys will never let me live it down. They'll think I've gone crazy."

"Oh, come on," Melly chided. "If they support my relationship with Blurr, surely they'll support a relationship between you and Bumblebee. You _are_ part robot, after all."

"How would I even say it, anyway? How would I be able to explain it without sounding like a complete dope?"

"You know Bumblebee. Simply come out, and say it. Be honest with him. There's no need to sugarcoat it, or anything. Just go straight to the point."

"What's going on over here?" a voice cut in unexpectedly. Melly and Sari simultaneously jumped, then realized that Bumblebee himself was standing right there, watching them intently. Somehow, they hadn't even noticed him. Sari's eyes widened considerably, and Melly thought she saw some of the color drain from the girl's face.

Melly, on the other hand, smiled up at the bot and said, "Oh, hi, Bumblebee! Sari and I were just talking."

"Talking about what?"

"Nothing," said Sari hastily, before Melly could answer. "Nothing—just a bunch of girl gossip, that's all. You know how it is with us girls. Right, Melly? With us, it's always a bunch of jabber-jabber-jabber-jabber, yak-yak-yak-yak-yak-yak." As she backed away from her companions, she went on, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think it's time to change Sparkplug's food—er, I mean, batteries. I'll catch you guys later!" With that, she whirled around and was out of there as if the place was on fire. Bumblebee and Melly watched her leave, then they looked at one another.

"What was _that_ all about?" said Bee bewilderedly.

Melly shook her head, and all she said was, "The typical adolescent angst." To herself, she thought, _Poor Sari._

She knew and understood exactly what the girl was going through, having gone through it herself. Love was certainly a strange and funny thing.

Just then, Sari's father appeared. "Miss Manchester?" he called to Melly.

"Yes, sir?" Melly promptly acknowledged.

"Come with me." Mr. Sumdac looked and sounded quite grave.

Melly peered up at Bee. "Would you excuse me for a minute, please, Bumblebee?"

"Yeah, sure, no problem."

So Melly followed her boss out of the room, and down the numerous corridors until they reached the elevator. "Have…I done something wrong, sir?" Melly was half-afraid to ask, while they were waiting for the doors to open. She could tell this was serious business. She tried to think of what she could have done to land herself in trouble, but nothing specific came to mind.

"No, no," Mr. Sumdac reassured her, as the doors finally opened with a swoosh, and they stepped inside the compartment together. "It is nothing against you, Miss Manchester. There is someone here to see you. They are waiting in my office." He spoke in an unusually soft, gentle tone, and as they were slowly mounting the floors, one by one, his eyes regarded Melly with pity and concern. It was the same look her own father used to give her when she came home in tears, having endured another terrible bullying at school or in the neighborhood.

It was the look Blurr, Sari, Bumblebee, and the rest of the Autobot gang would give her whenever they saw her upset.

For some reason, such an expression from her supervisor caused Melly's stomach to twist into a hard, sickening knot.

When at last they reached the appropriate level in the building, Mr. Sumdac guided Melly to his office, staying close to her the whole time. He even put a hand on the girl's shoulder as they walked, which made Melly even more apprehensive. Melly's legs were like soggy noodles, and her heartbeat started to accelerate. The door to Mr. Sumdac's office was already open when they got there, and inside, Melly saw two unfamiliar men, along with Matthew, her own brother. While the other two men stood around, calmly sipping coffee, Matthew sat rigidly in Mr. Sumdac's chair, his face the color of paste. "Matthew?" said Melly, stunned to see him here, of all places. "What are you doing here?"

At the sight of her brother's stricken face, she felt her apprehension blossom into panic, though she fought hard to not lose her composure. "What—what is it? What's wrong?"

There was a long moment of silence before Matthew was able to speak.

"It's Dad, Melly," he said, in a low, croaky voice. "Dad's been in a terrible accident."


	3. Chapter 3

**GOODBYE IS NOT FOREVER  
**

_Presenting chapter 3. Brace yourselves; a major emotional blow lies ahead. Make sure you've got enough tissues.  
_

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**

**Characters (with exceptions) © Hasbro and Entertainment Rights**

**Story © unicorn-skydancer08**

_**All rights reserved. **_

* * *

**Chapter 3  
**

"An accident?" Melly was sure Matthew must be joking. But the paleness of her brother's face and the haunted look in his eyes revealed this was no joke.

"It happened this morning," Matthew said hoarsely, "while Dad was working at the mills."

_The mills_—Melly remembered reading plenty of stories, and seeing solemn television reports of people involved in tragic accidents at steel mills. But she never, in a million years, would have expected anything of the sort to happen to her own father. Though she didn't want to ask, the question found its way off her tongue anyway: "What happened to him?"

"From what I've been told, Dad was walking the steel riggings, where he was at least two hundred feet off the ground. Then, somehow, he lost his footing…and…" Matthew faltered and couldn't finish the sentence, but Melly knew what he meant. It was as though someone had just struck her with a tack hammer, and she nearly staggered, but Mr. Sumdac steadied her. Without a word, Mr. Sumdac drew out a spare chair, though it wasn't nearly as comfortable as the one Matthew occupied, and Melly practically collapsed into it, feeling her legs give way.

"B-but Dad's okay, isn't he?" Melly asked, her voice cracking like a piece of brittle glass.

Tears welled in Matthew's eyes, and he shook his head faintly. "No, Melly. He's not." He buried his face in his hands.

For a brief, intense moment, Melly literally couldn't breathe. It was as if someone had robbed her of all the air, as if she'd been swimming underwater and she couldn't reach the surface. That meant—oh, no, it couldn't be! Not her father! Not Marc Anthony Manchester, the man who had raised her, taught her, supported her, and loved her. It just wasn't possible!

Melly wanted to cry, but unlike Matthew, her eyes remained strangely dry. She wanted to scream and shout, but she couldn't make a sound. She wanted to jump up and run as far away from everybody and everything as possible, but her whole body was like a block of ice. All she could do was sit there, silent and unmoving, staring ahead but seeing nothing, hearing the sounds of her brother's quiet weeping but not quite making sense of them. _No,_ was the only rational thought in her head. _No…no…Daddy…_

At length, she felt a hand on her shoulder again, and Mr. Sumdac's soft, heavily accented voice said, "Why don't you take the rest of the day off, Miss Manchester?"

"No," she answered half-consciously, her own voice sounding foreign to her ears. "I-I couldn't…I have work…"

"We'll fill in for you here," Mr. Sumdac said, in a gentle, almost fatherly tone he'd never used with her before. "Go home with your brother. I'll tell Sari and your other friends where you've gone."

Melly couldn't think of anything else to say. For that matter, her brain was a total blank. So, she allowed Matthew to pull her to her feet, and guide her out of the room.

"I am most deeply sorry," were the last words she heard Mr. Sumdac tell her.

Matthew stayed close to Melly as they slowly made their way out of the building, even going so far as to wrap his arm around her and clasp her to his side. Even when they were out in the warm sunshine, and the sights and sounds of Detroit bombarded them, it was all like a dream to Melly—a dream from which she hoped desperately to awaken, but never would.

How could it have happened? How could their dear father, so full of life and energy mere hours before, be gone forever? It wasn't fair. It wasn't right.

Marc was the best father in the whole, wide world.

He was all Melly and Matthew had, the only family they had. Without him, they had nothing left.

But he was gone…and there was nothing that could ever, or would ever, bring him back.


	4. Chapter 4

**GOODBYE IS NOT FOREVER  
**

_Wowsers, chapter 4 already! How about that? I'm having a real ball with this, despite the tear-jerking plot. _

_It feels great to write something that doesn't always have to do with Narnia, or Disney.  
_

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* * *

**

**Characters (with exceptions) © Hasbro and Entertainment Rights**

**Story © unicorn-skydancer08**

_**All rights reserved. **_

* * *

**Chapter 4  
**

Later that day, Blurr showed up at Sumdac Systems to take Melly away. He arrived just a little before six o' clock, with five minutes to spare. The blue racer waited outside the building for almost two hours, but Melly never showed up. When he tried contacting her through his comm link, there was no answer. He tried several times, and still he got nothing.

Though Blurr tried to not worry, he couldn't help himself. Where was Melly? Was she okay? It was so unlike her to be late, and most especially to not respond to his calls. Eventually, the blue racer headed swiftly for the obsolete auto factory that served as headquarters for the other Autobots, hoping he would find someone who would know of Melly's whereabouts.

Sure enough, there was Bumblebee, along with Bulkhead, Ratchet, Prowl, Jazz, and even Optimus Prime. They were all standing together in a group, talking quietly, looking rather solemn. Blurr immediately shifted to his robotic form and approached the group, calling, "Has-anybody-seen-Melly?" All heads promptly turned in his direction at the sound of his voice. Seeing everyone's serious expressions, Blurr questioned, "What's-going-on-over-here? Is-there-some-kind-of-problem? What's-the-deal? Is-it-about-Melly? Is-she-okay? Is-she-all-right?"

"Melly's fine," Bumblebee assured him. Then, as if on second thought, the yellow bot added, "At least, she's fine, in the physical sense."

"Where-is-she?"

"She went home. Her brother came for her earlier today."

"But-she-already-agreed-to-meet-with-me-tonight," Blurr protested. "We'd-planned-to-go-out-together-and-I-was-going-to-be-the-one-to-escort-her-home. What-happened?"

"Didn't you hear?" said Prowl, his voice surprisingly soft and mellow. "Her father was in an unfortunate accident this morning."

"He's offline," Bulkhead added, which was their term for "dead".

"Her-father? Offline?" For a split moment, Blurr wasn't sure he'd heard correctly. He thought there must be a glitch somewhere in his processor. Then it hit him, with the force of an iron-clad punch. "No—that-cannot-be! That's-impossible!" He had met personally with Marc Manchester before, on several occasions, and he'd grown to like the man.

That same man couldn't be terminated! He just _couldn't_ be!

Optimus shook his head. "As much as I hate to say it, Blurr," the big Autobot leader said gravely, "I'm afraid it's the truth. Sari told us so, after hearing it from her father."

Now Blurr could feel dread trickling like ice through his hard drive. If the story came from Sari, it was almost bound to be true. That would explain Melly's absence, and why he couldn't get hold of her. Only something exceptionally serious could keep her away from him. "I…I can't believe it," said Blurr, speaking considerably more slowly. "How could this happen? Why?"

"None of us know how, or why, kid," Ratchet quietly informed him. "It just happened."

For a few seconds, Blurr stood perfectly still, at a loss for words, his face a mask of sorrow and disbelief. Though he knew robots could be killed or destroyed—he certainly hadn't forgotten his own brush with death—it always shocked him at how much more vulnerable humans were. Knowing it was Melly's father who died made the news all the more terrible. He could only imagine how it must have been for Melly when she'd heard about it. Surely, the poor girl had to be devastated; Blurr knew she was extremely close to her father.

At length, the blue racer managed to say, "I must go see Melly about this, right away."

"I think you had better wait, Blurr," said Optimus, before Blurr had even turned around. "I doubt Melly's up to seeing anybody right now…even you."

"But she needs me, Optimus," he protested. "I can't leave her like this."

"Perhaps tomorrow," Optimus told him. "We'll all drop by sometime, to see how she's doing, to let her know we're here to help in any way possible. But for now, let's allow her some time to herself."

Blurr sighed, and bowed his head, but he didn't argue. "Very well," was all he said.

But he made a processor note that he would see Melly first thing tomorrow, one way or another. It would take more than a legion of Decepticons, armed to the last bolt, to keep him away.

* * *

Meanwhile, at her house, Melly was up in her bedroom, spread-eagled on her bed, still in her work clothes. She hadn't even bothered to take off her shoes. The minute she and Matthew arrived home, Matthew told her he was going to lie down for a while, and Melly decided to do the same. So, she'd dragged herself up the flight of stairs leading to her room, where she'd collapsed onto the bed, and she was quickly out like a light. Now, she was slowly returning to the world of the living. She woke up feeling disoriented and exhausted, even though she'd slept for nearly eight hours straight. Her arms and legs felt like lead, and she had a dull headache. She also awoke with the inherent sense that something was wrong, terribly wrong.

At first, she couldn't pin down the reason why.

Then she remembered.

Her father was dead. He'd died that very morning, while engaged in business at the mills. Matthew told her so himself.

It had to be true; Matthew would never say such a thing about their dad if it wasn't.

Melly's last memory of Marc—the warmth of his embrace, his tall, robust figure standing in the doorway as he waved her off to work, the cheerful and loving look on his face—haunted her. She closed her eyes, but even then, Marc's face refused to go away. Pain such as Melly had never felt in her life, or would have believed possible, enveloped her.

It threatened to choke her, to make her sick on the spot.

Slowly, Melly struggled to stand up. But her legs would not support her, and she ended up sinking back into the soft depths of her bed. As she fought to regain control of her ragged breath and her rapidly thudding heart, a gentle knock sounded at her door. Before she could even answer, the door opened a crack, and she saw it was Matthew.

"Hi, Melly," he said huskily. "Can I come in?"

Under normal conditions, her room would have been strictly off-limits. But somehow, Melly didn't have the heart to refuse him.

"Sure, Matthew. Come in."

So Matthew eased himself into the room, and joined his sister on the bed. He looked terrible. His clothes were rumpled, his hair was tangled and unkempt, he needed a shave, his face retained that pasty color, and his eyes were a vivid shade of red. The eyes were what especially unnerved Melly; in all the years they'd lived together, she had hardly ever seen her brother cry. There was a long moment of silence between the two siblings, before Melly spoke. "Looks like it's just you and me now, Matthew." The words tasted bitter on her tongue.

Matthew just nodded bleakly, and sank his forehead into his hands. "I was in such a hurry this morning," he moaned, with his head down, sounding as if he were being tortured. "I should never have rushed out on Dad the way I did. I should have taken the time to give him a proper goodbye, to hug him and let him know I loved him. But now it's too late."

In spite of herself, Melly felt her heart swell with compassion for him. She reached out to her brother and gave his shoulder a light squeeze. "Don't feel bad, Matthew," she said, in a pitiful attempt to console him. "How could you have known what would happen today? How could any of us have known? Dad already knew you loved him. I know he loved us."

She could hardly believe what she was saying. Their father hadn't been dead a whole day—not even half a day—and already they were referring to him in the past tense.

When Matthew managed to get some hold of himself, he lifted his watery red eyes to his sister's, and said in a half-steady voice, "I guess now's the time to start making plans for the funeral."

_Funeral._ The word resounded in Melly's head like the ominous toll of a bell. "I guess so," she said softly, even though her heart spoke against it.

She knew such a day would come, eventually…she just didn't think it would be this soon.

"We should probably keep it low-key," Matthew went on. "No flashy fanfare, no big crowds—just those closest to us."

None of their grandparents were living; they had no other immediate relations that they knew of, and of course, their mother was out of the question. Even if they knew where their mother was, Melly doubted she would make it in time for the funeral. Chances were she wouldn't want to attend anyway. She and Marc had had nothing to do with each other for twenty years. What difference would it make now? Melly figured she could, at least, invite Sari, Blurr, and some of the other Autobots, if they agreed; they were the closest companions she'd ever had.

Maybe they should have a few of their dad's co-workers there, as well. Melly knew Marc was well-known and well-liked at his company. Furthermore, since his accident took place at the mills, the mills would likely end up covering the funeral expenses…Melly's vision went hazy as the tears she'd forgotten how to cry finally came, as the finality of what happened, and the enormity of what was yet to come, sank in. She struggled vainly to choke back the sobs that were gathering force in her throat.

Like water that had found a breach in a dam, the tears leaked out and trickled steadily down her freckled cheeks. Without a word, Matthew put his arms around her, a gesture that was rarely performed during their years of growing up. The feel of her brother's arms destroyed the shield of resistance, and Melly sank into them and let loose.

Clinging fiercely to Matthew, as though she teetered on the edge of a dark, bottomless abyss, she closed her eyes and cried her heart and soul out.


	5. Chapter 5

**GOODBYE IS NOT FOREVER  
**

_This next chapter is super-short. It didn't turn out quite the way I would have liked it, but oh well. At least I got the essence down, which is Blurr's love and consideration towards Melly.  
_

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**

**Characters (with exceptions) © Hasbro and Entertainment Rights**

**Story © unicorn-skydancer08**

_**All rights reserved. **_

* * *

**Chapter 5  
**

True to his vow, Blurr was at Melly's house the following morning, before the sun had quite fully risen. He found the girl outside on her front porch, and he didn't hesitate to shift from car to robot. Melly, who'd had a rough night, and was unable to stay in her house due to the emptiness and the ominous silence, looked up when his enormous shadow passed over her.

"Blurr?" she said. The sight of him reminded her of their forgotten date the previous evening.

But from the look on Blurr's face, he'd clearly received word of what happened.

"Hello, Melly," the blue racer greeted her, his words surprisingly slow and distinct, his tone unusually soft and gentle. "I hope I'm not intruding…but I just had to come."

So, he did know.

"I wanted to see for myself that you were all right," Blurr continued, when Melly said nothing. "I would have stopped by last night, but the other bots kept me away."

At length, Melly managed to say, "Thank you, Blurr. I—I'm glad you came." And she meant it.

It didn't help the fact that her father was dead, but it touched her heart that Blurr and the others had remembered her, and were genuinely concerned about her.

"Are you all right?" It seemed an incredibly stupid question, but Blurr felt the need to ask it anyway.

Melly saw no reason to try to hide the truth from him. "No," she said dully. "No, I'm not."

Blurr felt his All-Spark go out to her. "I'm very sorry, Melly. Truly, I am." Lowering himself to one knee on the pavement, he asked, "Isn't there anything I can do?"

Melly hesitated only briefly, before replying slowly, "Well, there _is_ something…"

"What?"

Slowly, the girl lifted her eyes to the big blue bot's attentive optics. "Would you mind coming to the funeral, Blurr?"

"The funeral?"

"For my dad. It's a human tradition, for whenever someone dies. It's tomorrow…and I doubt I can make it alone. I know you're busy, Blurr, that many other things demand your time and attention. But it would mean the world to me if you were there." It was all Melly could do to keep her voice steady as she made her request, to not break down in front of Blurr.

Blurr nodded mildly, his optics full of compassion and love. "Of course, I'll be there," he said gently. "It would be plain wrong otherwise. Nothing and nobody is going to get in my way."

"A-and would you mind asking Bumblebee, Optimus, and the others to come, too? I would also like to see them there, if they don't object."

"It'll be the very first thing I tell them, the next time I see them," Blurr promised.

"And one more thing."

"What's that, Melly?"

"Would you mind taking me downtown today?" Melly petitioned. "We never did have that date, you know. We can have those drinks, and maybe go for a little cruise around Detroit."

"Are you sure? It's not really necessary; you had a very significant reason for not showing up last night, and I understand completely."

"I'm sure," said Melly, now rising to her feet. "I can't stay here, Blurr. I—I have to get out and do something. I don't care what we do; I just need to get away from everything for a while."

So Blurr gave in. "Very well," he said, and he once again made the transition to car mode.

Melly readily climbed into his interior and shut the door. Vigorously, the girl forced aside the dark thoughts of her father and death and the upcoming funeral that plagued her. For now, she tried to focus solely on Blurr, and the morning she would spend in his company. She was determined to do something regular, to retain at least some degree of normalcy.

As for Blurr, he resolved to remain as close to Melly as possible, for as long as she would need him.


	6. Chapter 6

**GOODBYE IS NOT FOREVER  
**

_Holy mackerel, another chapter! Boy-howdy, I've been on fire with this thing, just within this last week alone. _

_Don't know how long the inspiration will last, but as long as it does, I may as well seize advantage of it. This, by the way, happens to be my favorite chapter of all, at least so far.  
_

**

* * *

**

**Characters (with exceptions) © Hasbro and Entertainment Rights**

**Story © unicorn-skydancer08**

_**All rights reserved. **_

* * *

**Chapter 6  
**

On the morning of the funeral, Melly dressed slowly, hardly able to get her fingers to cooperate with her. Though she was generally the tomboyish type, and wouldn't be caught dead in a dress most of the time, she opted to wear a black one for the occasion. It was rather simple, but sophisticated, with a bowl-shaped neckline and elegant little cap sleeves.

She made sure to put on her special charm necklace, with the little blue stone. Her dad had given it to her for her birthday when she was seventeen, and she'd worn the thing constantly ever since. In a way, the necklace was all she had left of him. She wore her long, strawberry-blonde hair in its usual ponytail, but she dabbed on a little perfume—just enough to smell nice but not enough to reek. Though Melly flat-out refused to wear makeup, she figured a little lip gloss couldn't hurt, so she applied some of that, too.

When at last the girl was set, she took one final look at herself in the mirror. She looked ready to attend some fancy party or social gathering; it was hard to believe she was going to a funeral. The memorial service would last about an hour, then, in another hour, they would all be heading for the cemetery, where her father would be buried. She and Matthew would be riding in a rented limousine, but Blurr, Bumblebee, Optimus, and all the other Autobots had promised they would be right behind them, in their vehicle modes. They would follow in a single-file line, one after the other. Some people, including Matthew, found it a bit odd to have two racecars, three big trucks, a motorcycle, and several other vehicles of different sizes and types as part of a funeral procession, but Melly didn't care in the least. She would have no other procession.

Taking a deep breath, Melly forced herself away from the mirror, and made her way outside, where her brother was waiting for her, by the limo. Matthew looked extraordinarily handsome in his black suit. He was wearing dark sunglasses to shield his eyes, though Melly could already see tracks of tears on his cheeks. Neither sibling said a word to the other, but they hugged briefly, and Matthew opened the door for Melly and allowed her to climb in first. Though the church wasn't that far away, the ride there seemed to take forever.

At the church, while the Autobots waited patiently outside—since there obviously wasn't any room for them inside—the humans took a bit of time before the service to socialize. Everyone expressed their sincere condolences to Melly and Matthew; while Melly tried her best to be gracious, all she wanted was to get out of there, to have this terrible day be over with already.

Isaac Sumdac, Sari's father, was there for the service, but for some reason Sari was nowhere to be seen. When Melly asked Mr. Sumdac about her, all he would say was, "I thought it best if Sari stayed home for this." He sounded apologetic, but Melly somehow sensed that this wasn't entirely his idea. She felt a twinge of annoyance. What kind of friend was Sari?

If this situation were reversed, and Sari had been the one who'd lost her father, Melly would have been there for her, every single minute.

For that matter, she'd never once received word from Sari since the last time she saw her, which was shortly before the news concerning her father's accident was broken to her.

There were no visits from Sari, no e-mails, not even so much as a simple phone call.

Melly couldn't understand why her best friend, of all people, would chicken out on her like this. All her Autobot friends had visited her regularly during the course of the last two days. Even old, short-tempered Ratchet had stopped by once or twice, to see how she was faring. Bumblebee and Bulkhead—and Blurr, of course—had stuck to her like glue.

None of them had had much to say, but at least Melly was comforted to know they cared about her enough to be with her.

When the services began, Melly sat with Matthew in the front row. Sunlight streaming in through the stained-glass windows cast a flood of rainbows over everything. It ought to have been a beautiful sight, but Melly kept her focus purely on the large mahogany casket, which stood at the very front of the chapel, draped in flowers of every imaginable kind. The lid was closed, and someone had placed a smiling picture of Marc on top. All through the service, Melly stared at that picture, barely hearing half of what the minister was saying.

She absorbed her father's image as much as she could, not wanting to ever forget the way he looked.

She could hear Matthew sobbing quietly alongside her, but she fought to keep her own tears back, refusing to shed them in public.

When the service finally ended, and they found themselves at the appointed grave site, Melly once again stayed close to Matthew's side. He gently clasped her shoulders as they stood over their father's coffin one last time. Behind them, where the Autobots stood, Melly could hear Bulkhead murmuring to Bumblebee, "How come everyone's wearing black?"

Bee muttered back, "Must be a human tradition."

Prowl shushed them both up.

As the minister gave one final brief sermon, and pronounced a benediction, Melly only heard half the words. Though the sun shone brightly overhead, she felt cold and numb all over. She felt empty, like some hollowed-out shell. On the outside, she was Melly Manchester; on the inside, there was nothing. Even now, this very moment, she found her father's death inconceivable.

Why did this have to happen? Why did it have to be _her_ dad? Even though his death had been an accident, and no one was to blame, Melly wanted it to be somebody's fault.

Somebody should have known—should have been able to save her father, to have prevented this horrible tragedy from ever striking in the first place.

Though she believed in God and heaven, it seemed discriminatory that Marc should be called back like this, this soon, leaving her and Matthew behind. While Marc might be in a better place now, free of pain and suffering, even happy, what were the survivors supposed to do? What was left for them, to hope for and believe in? These, along with numerous questions, swirled relentlessly around Melly's head, like a dog chasing its tail; and as far as the girl could see, there were no answers. At one point, Melly wished she were dead herself, so she could join her father.

Then she immediately felt guilty, and took the wish back.

At last, it was all over.

Melly didn't hesitate to walk out of the cemetery, unable to stay and watch them place her father's earthly remains into the ground. Her brother did likewise, and the Autobots followed.

Blurr took Melly aside for a while, so the two of them could talk privately.

"So…how-do-you-feel, Melly?" the blue bot asked softly, when they were alone, lapsing somewhat into his old habit of rapid speech.

"Like I'm trapped in the middle of a bad dream," Melly confessed. "I keep trying to wake up from it, but it's impossible."

Tenderly, Blurr reached down and lifted the girl's chin with a single, giant white finger, so that she was looking him properly in the face.

"It'll be all right, honey," he reassured her gently. "Everything is going to be all right. You'll see."

Somehow, Melly doubted that, but she sensed Blurr was trying his best to help her feel better, and she could at least appreciate the gesture.

"Thank you, Blurr. And thanks for coming today. It means so much to me."

"My pleasure, Melly." He smiled, and she managed a halfhearted smile herself. "Take as much time to grieve as you deem necessary. If there's anything else you need from me, even if it's just to talk, I'm as close as your phone. Contact me anytime, anywhere, day or night. I don't care about the distance, or the time difference. You just say the word, and I'll be there."

"What about your duty to the Elite Guard?" Melly certainly hadn't forgotten who Blurr was, and where he stood with the Cybertron Elite Guard.

"The Elite Guard can go and slag themselves, for all I care. I'd quit my services altogether, here and now, if need be."

Melly was surprised, but at the same time deeply touched, and immensely grateful that Blurr would place her needs above his own. He really must think a great deal of her, she thought, to consider her before his obligations to Cybertron Intelligence. In spite of all that had transpired, in spite of her sadness, Melly also felt extraordinarily lucky.

She felt like she had lost in one way—and gained in another.


	7. Chapter 7

**GOODBYE IS NOT FOREVER**

_Here we are, with yet another chapter. This is where we find out what Sari's been up to, and something very serious happens between her and Melly. _

_This wasn't a chapter I was looking forward to writing. But you know me: in spite of it all, everything somehow turns out okay in the end.  
_

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* * *

**

**Characters (with exceptions) © Hasbro and Entertainment Rights**

**Story © unicorn-skydancer08**

**_All rights reserved. _**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

When Melly finally did see Sari again, when she had resumed work at Sumdac Systems two days later, she decided to confront the girl there and then. There was hardly anyone else around, and Melly wasn't too heavily engaged; Mr. Sumdac had assured her she was free to work at her own pace. If Sari knew Melly was there, she made no sign of it, but Melly wasn't going to let her get away this time. So, she walked briskly up to her, and demanded, rather loudly, "Where have you been, Sari?" That got her; Sari yelled out and jumped right into the air.

When she spun around and saw it was only Melly, she quickly relaxed, but then a look of annoyance crossed her face.

"Melly—don't do that again!" she protested. "You scared me half to death!"

Without bothering to apologize, Melly went straight to the heart of the matter. "Why weren't you at the funeral, Sari?"

"What funeral?"

"You know very well what funeral," Melly countered. "The one that was held for my dad, just the other day. Everyone else was there, except you. And I'd like to know your excuse."

"Didn't my dad tell you?" Melly noticed Sari was careful to avoid her gaze.

"All he said was that he'd thought it best if you didn't come. Why is that, Sari? You're my best friend. Why didn't you tell your dad you wanted to be there?"

"Because I didn't _want_ to be there," said Sari, speaking so softly that Melly almost didn't hear her.

"Why not?" Melly demanded relentlessly.

"What is this, some kind of interrogation?"

"Just answer the question, Sari. Give it to me straight. Why would you not want to be with me? Everyone else was with me, including Prowl. Even Ratchet showed up. I think it's rather odd that you would be missing from the picture." Melly crossed her arms together, to show Sari she wouldn't back down until she got an answer.

After a minute, Sari managed to say, "Funerals are just depressing, that's all. I—I didn't want to be depressed."

"Depressed?" Melly could hardly believe her ears. "It was _my_ dad who died!"

"Well, it's just that…you know…"

Melly moved in closer, so that the two girls were within less than a foot of each other. Now Sari did look fully at Melly, and saw that her once warm, friendly blue eyes were as cold and hard as ice. "I'll tell you what it's like to be depressed, Sari Sumdac," said Melly curtly, causing Sari to nervously back a few steps. "It's when the person you love most in the history of the world is gone forever, when you're going through the absolute worst day of your entire life—and your best friend doesn't care enough to be with you. You never even called me."

Sari faltered briefly, before answering lamely, "I wasn't sure what to say."

"You could have at least come to me, just to say 'I don't know what to say'," Melly retorted. "It would have been better than the silent treatment, acting like I didn't exist."

This apparently struck home with Sari, for she gave a noticeable flinch.

"Look, Melly, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't there. And I'm sorry your dad died. That's pretty bad news."

"You think?" muttered Melly, unable to help the note of sarcasm.

"I didn't mean it like that—"

"Getting a pink slip at your job is bad news, Sari. Getting involved in a traffic accident is bad news. But my own father, the one who'd looked out for me all my life, the one who'd taught me everything, the only real family I've had left, is suddenly gone, just like that, without any warning from anyone. As far as I'm concerned, we got more than simply 'bad news'."

Sari's face contorted as she listened, as if Melly's words were causing her physical pain.

"I'm sorry, Melly," she said softly, when she could speak again. "I just—I only meant—the way it sounded—I'm just _sorry_, okay?"

Melly sucked in a deep breath, and very slowly let it out again, feeling like a balloon that was gradually deflating. At length, she said, "I never even got to tell Dad goodbye. They say funerals are a way of saying goodbye, of making it easier. But it sure wasn't that way for me. If anything, it was the most difficult thing I'd ever had to go through."

"I find it all totally freaky," Sari acceded.

Melly glared at her. "So, you mean to say that what happens in my life freaks _you_ out?" she demanded. "Well, thanks a lot! Just what I needed to hear at a time like this."

"That's not what I meant," Sari didn't hesitate to retract. "What else can I say, Melly? What do you want me to say?"

"Never mind," said Melly brusquely. "Forget it, Sari. I should never have brought this subject up in the first place. I should have known this was a bad idea. As a matter of fact, you can forget everything between us." As she turned away, her last words were, "I hope I never 'freak you out' again." With that, she stormed off in a huff.

"Melly!" Sari called frantically. "Melly, wait!"

Melly heard the other girl cry after her several times, but she only ignored her and quickened her step, wanting to get as far away from her former friend as possible, just as soon as possible.


	8. Chapter 8

**GOODBYE IS NOT FOREVER**

_Welcome back! I present you with a brand-new chapter! A short one, to be sure, but hey, a short chapter is better than none at all. I'm sure you've all been wondering how Melly has been faring. Well, let's just say that things will get worse before they'll even start to get better. Something very bad happens at the end of this chapter, but you will have to read and see what it is for yourselves.  
_

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**

**Characters (with exceptions) © Hasbro and Entertainment Rights**

**Story © unicorn-skydancer08**

**_All rights reserved. _**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

"Breakfast is ready, Matthew," Melly called, as she applied the final touches to the morning meal.

About ten minutes later, a very haggard-looking Matthew dragged himself into the dining room. Melly was startled to see that he wasn't dressed for the day yet. Moreover, the rumpled, oversized shirt and baggy pants that hung on his lanky body looked familiar. "Matt," she said disbelievingly, "are—are you wearing Dad's old college jersey and pajama pants?"

Matthew's face colored significantly as he looked down at himself. "You must think I've officially flipped my lid, don't you, Mel?" he said, pulling slightly at the front of the shirt.

"No," she answered honestly. "You just caught me by surprise, that's all. And you're usually up and about by this time."

She realized Matthew must miss their father more than he let on.

Since the funeral, Matthew had acted very differently. He'd been sleeping more often, he didn't smile and joke like he used to, and his habits had changed. His room, which was usually a disaster area, was now as neat as a pin, and a whole week had gone by in which Melly didn't once have to remind him to pick up something he'd left lying around the house.

Of course, Melly knew her own habits had taken a turn. Just that past week alone, she'd watched more cartoons and game shows on television than she ever had in her entire life. When she wasn't home, she was putting in much more time and effort than usual at work. Contrary to what Mr. Sumdac said, she felt the need to keep busy.

The more time she spent working, the less time she had to think about her father's death…and her fall-out with Sari.

Ever since that day, Melly made sure to stay well clear of Sari, and Sari kept her distance as well.

The other Autobots stayed out of Melly's way, too. Melly figured they must have found out what happened between her and Sari, and either they were simply giving her breathing room, or they were taking Sari's side in this. Either way, Melly hadn't seen any of the bots, not even Bumblebee or Bulkhead, in several consecutive days, and the calls and messages had stopped. Melly felt genuinely bad for treating Sari the way she did, but a part of her was still angry with the girl. A part of her claimed Sari deserved what she'd gotten.

Sari had hurt her, so now she was receiving a taste of her own medicine. Even so, Melly felt a bleak sort of emptiness. It was as if the gap in her heart had widened even more. It was as if a door had slammed in her face, leaving her in the cold. Sari had been like the sister she'd never had. Now, the door to their friendship was closed…probably forever.

Melly wished she could talk to Blurr about this. Throughout the week, she had reached for her phone more than once to contact him, but had always stopped herself at the last minute. Though Blurr told her he was always available, Melly didn't want to take advantage of him. She didn't want to be a pest. As much as Blurr cared about her, Melly knew he had a life of his own, and she couldn't have him come running over every little crisis. There were times when she would simply have to live with it. She was an adult, after all; she should know how to take care of herself.

Melly shook her head slightly, snapping herself out of her reverie. "You hungry, Matthew?" she asked. "You feel like eating?"

"Maybe just a glass of OJ," he replied. Then, as if on second thought, he added, "And maybe I could also manage a bit of toast with peanut butter."

Melly remembered how their dad used to love toast with peanut butter. Many times, Marc would slab on so much of the stuff that he'd make a toasted peanut butter sandwich. He often referred to peanut butter itself as "the nectar of the gods". Melly also remembered how much he loved coffee; it was the raspberry and hazelnut kind he enjoyed most. Marc would often forget where he placed his last cup of coffee, so he'd simply pour himself another. A lump swelled in Melly's throat at these memories, and she fiercely blinked back the tears that threatened her eyes.

Hoping her brother hadn't seen, she just turned away from him for a moment and said, in a reasonably steady voice, "Sure thing, Matt."

Unbeknownst to her, Matthew had also briefly turned away and had his hand over his face, dabbing at his moist eyelids with his fingertips.

* * *

It was often said that bad things happened in threes. In Melly's case, she considered the loss of her father and the loss of her friendship with Sari to be two out of the three.

She couldn't help wondering what was next, and she got her answer that very same day.

While she was occupied at work, she received another message, this time informing her that Matthew had taken a bad fall at the dance studio, and had been rushed to the hospital.


	9. Chapter 9

**GOODBYE IS NOT FOREVER**

_Well, this chapter didn't take long at all. But, then again, I already knew what I wanted to have happen here, so it wasn't too much trouble. And some days are just better for writing than others.  
_

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* * *

**

**Characters (with exceptions) © Hasbro and Entertainment Rights**

**Story © unicorn-skydancer08**

**_All rights reserved. _**

* * *

**Chapter 9  
**

Melly never thought she would get to the hospital soon enough. When she finally arrived, the staff directed her to the appropriate room. When she walked through the door, sure enough, there was Matthew, lying on a bed with crisp white sheets. He looked fine, except for his pale face—and for his left leg, which was bound in a cast.

Melly felt her heart twist at the sight of him. She was glad it hadn't been the worst for Matthew, as she'd feared—she would never have been able to bear it if she lost her brother, too—but seeing him this way was enough to make her sick to her stomach. Matthew's eyes were closed at that moment, but as Melly slowly approached him, they fluttered open, and he slowly turned his face in her direction. He looked strangely younger, and somehow smaller, but his eyes fairly lit up when he saw his sister. "Melly," he said huskily.

"Hey, Matt," she greeted him quietly, as she settled into a chair next to him. She smiled, but the smile only lasted for about a thousandth of a second. "Are you okay?"

"Busted my leg a good one, that's for sure," he replied, without humor. "And my head feels like it's been hit by a sledgehammer."

"What happened?"

"I don't know. I just remember my dance instructor telling me off about my lousy performance. We were standing at the top of a flight of stairs, then somehow I got dizzy, and everything started spinning. The next thing I knew, I found myself on the floor at the bottom of the stairs, with a bunch of people around me, and with my head and leg on fire."

Melly figured Matthew must have fallen down the stairs, and broken his leg and struck his head as he did so; she winced at the idea. "Oh, boy…that definitely had to hurt."

He shrugged halfheartedly. "I'll live. The doctors think I might have a small concussion, and my leg's split in at least three areas, but other than that, I'm just peachy." He sighed, and hung his head dejectedly. "Of course, this more than likely marks the end of my dancing career. That's what bums me out, more than anything else."

"Don't worry, Matthew," Melly said, in a pitiful endeavor to console him. "Once your leg heals, you'll be back on the stage in no time."

Matthew didn't seem mollified.

"It's going to take at least six weeks for my leg to mend," he murmured. "Then I'll have to be extra-careful about the way I move around on it. Even if I could dance again, the very second I chuck this cast, I'll never be ready for our big production. Plus, my dancing has already started to go down the drain, before this even happened. Just ask my instructor."

Melly's heart went out to him. She could understand her brother's distress perfectly; she could only imagine what it would be like to work so hard for something she wanted so badly, only to have it all tank in the end. Laying a sympathetic hand against her brother's drooped shoulder, she said, "Ah, well, what really matters is that you're all right, Matt. It could have turned out worse, you know—a _lot_ worse," she added emphatically. Matthew's gaze met with hers, and she knew he was thinking the same thing: he could have ended up just like their father.

"You know what, Mel?" said Matthew, at length. "I think Dad's the whole reason for all of this, for everything that's gone on."

"You're blaming Dad?" Melly said incredulously.

"No," he never hesitated to interject. "No, of course not. It's just that…" Here, his breath caught, and Melly was sure she caught a glint of tears. "It's just that I miss him so much," Matthew blurted. Solid pain was evident in his handsome features, and Melly knew it wasn't because of his leg. "I mean, I know he's gone, that I must get on with my own life. But I'm so…so…"

"Mixed up?" Melly supplied.

"Exactly." Matthew covered his face with his hands, struggled to choke back a sob. "I don't know if I can do this, Melly. I—I don't know if I can cope with everything."

"I miss Dad, too," said Melly softly, bowing her head.

"I feel like I'm losing my mind," Matthew groaned into his palms. "I don't know what I will do. I don't know what I _can_ do."

His voice failed him altogether, and he dissolved into a stream of tears. His shoulders shook visibly as his breath escaped him in quiet yet potent sobs.

Slowly, Melly reached out for him and slipped her arms around his heaving shoulders, not unlike the way he'd enfolded her in his arms on the night of their father's death. "It's okay, Matt," she whispered gently into his ear. "You still have me, and I still have you. Remember, Dad always said that we Manchesters stick together. Together, we can make it."

Matthew only went on crying like a baby, and Melly began to rock him idly, back and forth. "It's all right, Matthew. I'm here…right here."

For the time being, Melly managed to forget her own pain. All thoughts of everybody and everything else were put aside, like books on a shelf. Melly was even able to forget about Blurr and Sari. For now, her brother was all that mattered. She stayed with Matthew, comforted him as best she could, and he cried until he could not cry anymore.


	10. Chapter 10

**GOODBYE IS NOT FOREVER**

_Ah, does it feel great to finally get back to this again. I was beginning to feel a little rusty with my Transformers stuff. Poor Melly has really had it rough; things aren't going to get better in a hurry, that's all I'm saying. And don't worry; Blurr, along with Sari and the others, will come back very soon. I felt Melly deserved a little chapter of her very own, with no one else around.  
_

**

* * *

**

**Characters (with exceptions) © Hasbro and Entertainment Rights**

**Story © unicorn-skydancer08**

**_All rights reserved. _**

* * *

**Chapter 10  
**

Melly ended up going home alone that night. The doctors wanted to keep Matthew at the hospital for at least another day, for further observation. Melly wanted to stay with her brother, but Matthew was given a sedative that would make him sleep soundly for several hours, and the doctors assured Melly that there really wasn't anything else she could do.

They told her to go home, get some rest, and come back the next day. Too disheartened to even consider arguing, Melly acquiesced.

The house seemed eerily quiet and empty when she set foot through the door. Melly flipped on a few lights, and while the darkness was immediately chased away, the sense of gloom yet lingered. Melly felt worn and listless, like a wrung-out rag. Though she hadn't eaten for some time, she was in no mood to eat. Though she'd had a long, rough day and was dog-tired, she was in no mood to sleep. She wished Blurr were there to comfort her. She wished she could talk to Sari, to Bumblebee, or any of the other bots. Despite the rift between them, she missed their company terribly. She missed Bumblebee's jokes and Bulkhead's amusing blunders; she even missed Prowl's nagging, and Ratchet's grouchiness.

Melly wondered what the gang was up to tonight.

Above all else, she longed for her dad.

If only things could be the way they were before—but, of course, Melly knew that was impossible. Times had changed, and there was nothing she or anyone could do about it.

With a heavy sigh, the girl began to wander aimlessly about the house.

At length, her feet carried her to her father's bedroom. She hadn't been in there since before Marc's death, and she didn't know why she stood at the door now, but something drew her inside, like an invisible hand. The room was exactly the way Marc had always kept it; the bed was neat and tidy, the knickknacks on the shelves stood in their usual alignment, and the only thing truly out of place was one of Marc's favorite shirts, lying in a jumbled heap at the foot of the bed. Almost without thinking, Melly walked over to the bed and picked the shirt up.

She buried her nose in the worn fabric and slowly breathed in the scent of her dad's aftershave. She closed her eyes, and it was as if Marc were right there with her, that very moment.

It was at once soothing and painful.

Tears filled Melly's eyes afresh as the awful truth struck yet another crushing blow: her father was gone, and he was never coming home again.

_Why, Daddy?_ Melly thought silently, her hands tightening their grip on the shirt. _Why did you have to go? Why have you left us alone? Why?_

She would gladly trade in everything she owned in the world, if only to see her father again for one minute. She reflected on all the times she'd needed her father as a child.

Even now, as an adult, she needed him—in some ways, more than ever.

Where was he? Was her father truly nothing more than an unfeeling corpse in the heart of the earth, or did his essence still live on somewhere?

Could Marc still see her and hear her? Did he miss her and Matthew as much as they missed him?

Melly's tears soaked into the old shirt as her composure turned to soup and she started to cry. Still clutching the ratty garment, she sank onto the bed and curled into a ball. She didn't bother to take off her shoes, or her glasses, for that matter. She simply lay there in the middle of the big mattress in a fetal position, her father's shirt pressed to her trembling lips.

She stayed in that spot for what must have been hours, and she cried until she'd cried herself to sleep.

* * *

_Melly was six years old, and learning to ride a bike for the first time. She was going much too fast, and she ended up losing her balance and hitting the pavement. In no time, the girl was bleeding and wailing pitifully. Marc was at her side in a flash. Tenderly, he scooped his small daughter up in his big, strong arms and carried her into the house. He cleaned and bandaged her scrapes, and then he sat quietly with her and held her gently on his lap, crooning loving words into her ear, until Melly calmed down completely._

_Melly was now nine years old. She was just returning home from school, and she came into the house crying. Her classmates, as always, had teased her relentlessly about her bright orange hair and her glasses; as if that weren't enough, someone had stolen her homework that morning before she could turn it in, then one of the boys kicked dirt in her face during recess. When Melly's father saw her and learned what had happened, he gave his poor little girl a long, comforting hug, then led her into the kitchen, where he served her some ice cream._

_Now Melly was a teenager, at that point where she made the transition from girl to woman. She was examining herself in the bathroom mirror, and disliking the person staring back at her. Her dad came in and asked her what was bothering her. Melly went into a brief but passionate tirade about how ugly she was, how no boy in the world would be caught dead near her. When she was finished, Marc just smiled at her and, in a quiet, gentle tone, assured her she was beautiful the way she was. He called her his little princess, and promised her that she would find that special someone someday; she just had to be patient. "And in the meantime," he said, "concentrate on being the very best person you can possibly be."_

* * *

It was well after midnight when Melly awoke. At first, she didn't recognize her surroundings, but when it dawned on her that she was in her dad's room, on his bed with his wadded shirt beside her, that cold, leaden feeling settled over her once more. The girl drew in a long, shuddering breath, but she did not cry this time, as she hadn't any tears left to cry.

Ultimately, the thought came to mind that it did no good to mope around, and that tears were useless. Nothing could change the past. Nothing would bring Marc back. The past was in the past. Melly was not a child anymore. She was no longer in that period where a mommy's kisses could make boo-boos better and a daddy's presence could vanquish anything.

It was time to grow up, to get on with her life.

Melly needed to be strong, for Matthew's sake, if no one else's. Her brother needed her, especially in his condition. And far too many other things depended on her as well.

She couldn't afford to fall apart now.

_"Concentrate on being the very best person you can possibly be."_ Her father's long-ago words repeated in her head, embedding themselves in the inmost recesses of her heart. Yes, Melly told herself, that's what she would do. She must let her father go. She must place the past behind her, center her focus instead on the future ahead.

She must put aside her own feelings, and do what was best for others.


	11. Chapter 11

**GOODBYE IS NOT FOREVER**

_Geez, what a week. I feel like Melly right now; I'd just lost yet another friend, this time to leukemia. It was terrible. She was even younger than me. _

_I knew this was coming, but it hurts all the same. _

_Anyway, it's really helped to write. Writing, as well as drawing, is excellent therapy for me. It feels wonderful to update this thing; it feels especially wonderful to finally write about Blurr again.  
_

**

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**

**Characters (with exceptions) © Hasbro and Entertainment Rights**

**Story © unicorn-skydancer08**

**_All rights reserved. _**

* * *

**Chapter 11  
**

The good news was that Matthew was allowed to come home the following afternoon. The bad news was that he was confined to the house. The doctors wanted him to take it easy, to do nothing strenuous for the next three weeks. They prescribed him with a special pain medication, which helped, but made Matthew drowsy and listless. He crashed almost the very minute he and Melly got back from the hospital. Every day, throughout the week and the week after that, he spent almost all day in his room, or on the couch in the living room.

Thus, Melly was left alone with the responsibilities of paying the bills and keeping the house in shape, and she became the sole breadwinner of the family.

The girl found herself constantly on her toes, working double, sometimes even triple shifts at work. Many times she didn't get home until very late, and her diet consisted of little more than a single apple or a cup of yogurt, with a small carton of juice to wash it down. Once, she was lucky enough to manage a whole sandwich.

With her new schedule as crazy as it was, she wouldn't have been able to visit her Autobot friends even if she'd wanted to.

Not that they seemed overly anxious to see her, anyway; it seemed to Melly that after her father's funeral, they had all dumped her like a load of unwanted junk. _So, what else is new?_ Melly thought bitterly at one point. This certainly wasn't the first time a so-called "friend" had abandoned her. Throughout her school days, she'd had one or two friends here and there who had seemed friendly enough in the beginning; but when it came to boys, or popularity, or some other unexplained reason, they treated her as if she were carrying some foul disease.

As much as the rejection stung, Melly learned to deal with it and move on.

Besides, she didn't have the time and energy to waste on her friends—if that was what she could call them anymore. There were far more important affairs to attend to.

Though she never let on to Matthew, he sensed his sister's exhaustion, how her agenda was slowly taking its toll on her mentally as well as physically. Melly was looking a little thinner every day, and she often looked dead on her feet. Melly always insisted she was fine, but Matthew knew his sister too well to know whenever she was and whenever she was not "fine".

He didn't press her, but his face showed his concern.

At least someone in the world, besides Matthew and Mr. Sumdac, seemed aware of Melly's existence. Blurr, when he hadn't heard from Melly in over a month, decided he had waited long enough and contacted the girl himself. Melly received his call just after returning home one evening, with scarcely the strength to drag herself through the door.

"Hello?" she barely had the breath to say when she answered.

"Melly? It's-me."

"Blurr?" Hearing his voice perked Melly up somewhat, like a static shock.

"What's-going-on? I-haven't-received-so-much-as-a-single-word-from-you-in-weeks. Is-everything-okay?"

"Fine," was all Melly could find to say. "Everything's fine."

"Are-you-sure?" Blurr didn't sound convinced. "You-sound-exhausted." His breakneck speech slowed significantly as he now asked, "Do—you feel all right?"

"I guess I am a little tired," Melly admitted. "But don't worry, Blurr. I've just been very busy, that's all, with work and all that."

"How is the rest of the crew faring?"

It took Melly a minute to realize he was referring to Sari and the other Autobots. He must not be aware of what had transpired between them.

She would have said that they were all fine, but instead she found herself saying, "I don't know. I haven't spoken to them in a while."

"Why not?" Blurr seemed genuinely surprised.

"Like I said, I've been busy. And I'm sure they've been busy themselves. You know how it is, Blurr. But I spotted them a few times here and there, and everyone looks okay to me." This was not quite true; Melly had only seen Sari twice in the last two weeks, and Bumblebee and Bulkhead only once besides. If any of them had ever noticed Melly, they'd made no sign of it. Once, Melly was sure she'd caught a glimpse of Optimus in his truck form, but she knew she had to be mistaken. Both Prowl and Ratchet were nowhere to be seen. And Jazz, like Blurr, was a lone ranger—tagging along with the gang periodically, but mostly sticking to his own timetable. Melly hadn't even seen Jazz since the day Marc was buried.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong, Mel?" Blurr sensed that Melly wasn't being entirely honest with him. "Nothing you want to talk to me about?"

Of course, there were loads Melly would have very much liked to talk to him about. But she didn't know how to properly express it, and she most certainly didn't want to sound like a baby. "It's okay, Blurr," she said, "really. I'll be all right. I'm not made of glass. I can look after myself. And I have Matthew to back me up. Don't worry about me."

All the same, Blurr _was_ worried. Even after he and Melly had disconnected, the blue racer knew something must be up.

Perhaps, he thought, it was time he paid Detroit another little visit.


	12. Chapter 12

**GOODBYE IS NOT FOREVER**

_Possibly my shortest chapter yet, but it packs a punch. It looks like Melly's in a bad way. Don't worry, she's okay, or she will be__…__eventually. _

_This is similar to how it went with her brother Matthew when he busted his leg.  
_

**

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**

**Characters (with exceptions) © Hasbro and Entertainment Rights**

**Story © unicorn-skydancer08**

**_All rights reserved. _**

* * *

**Chapter 12  
**

"Miss Manchester?"

"Yes, Mr. Sumdac?"

"I would like a word with you, if you don't mind."

Melly wondered what she had done this time, or what incident had taken place this time. All the same, she was grateful for the brief respite from work. The girl was feeling more and more sluggish these days; almost everything she did was like trying to swim through mud. Sometimes she was so worn out that she could hardly eat. At home, all she wanted to do was drop where she was, and just stay there. She even managed to forget about being mad at Sari and the Autobots, and about missing her dad—though that ache never went away completely, of course.

Melly set aside what she was doing and turned to her boss, although she could barely focus. "What is it, sir?"

Mr. Sumdac could sense his young employee's fatigue. "Miss Manchester," he said gently, "I know that you have been working very hard these past few weeks."

"Well, I do my best, sir," Melly replied wearily.

"Perhaps…" Mr. Sumdac paused for a moment, before he finished. "Perhaps a little _too_ hard, don't you think?"

"Oh, no, sir," she didn't hesitate to refute. "It's no trouble at all. I can handle it."

"But, Miss Manchester, you've done far much more, put in far much more time and effort at this company in these last four weeks alone than most of my staff has in the last four months. I never expected you to work so hard, especially for your age and status. I already told you that you were free to work at your own pace. Why do you feel so driven?"

"I don't know, sir…" Melly trailed off. Her tongue felt strangely thick in her mouth. Her eyeballs felt as if pricked by burning needles. Her head felt like it weighed two tons on her shoulders.

"Miss Manchester?" Mr. Sumdac knew right away that there was something wrong with her.

Melly said nothing. But every inch of her was heavy and aching. The world seemed to tilt before her eyes, and she swayed precariously on her feet.

"Miss Manchester? Are you all right?" To Melly's ears, her boss's voice sounded like it was coming from the far end of a tunnel. She said nothing, unable to speak. Pressure built up inside her chest until she could hardly breathe. She felt cold and nauseous. The world was spinning faster and faster, and without realizing it, the girl lost her balance altogether and keeled over. Something caught her, saving her from an unfriendly landing on the hard floor. Other voices aside from Mr. Sumdac's sounded above her, though Melly couldn't quite make sense of them.

She could barely distinguish a few short, urgent phrases, such as "get help" and "call an ambulance".

The hazy images continued to dim, the voices grew fainter, and finally everything went black as Melly sank into a sea of oblivion.


	13. Chapter 13

**GOODBYE IS NOT FOREVER**

_That didn't take long, did it? My muse for this story comes and goes, and I simply learn to make the most of it as it comes. You will be glad to know that the Autobots finally make a comeback in this chapter, as does Sari. They will make more frequent appearances from here on, and their behavior concerning Melly will make a great deal more sense very soon. I guarantee it.  
_

**

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**

**Characters (with exceptions) © Hasbro and Entertainment Rights**

**Story © unicorn-skydancer08**

**_All rights reserved. _**

* * *

**Chapter 13  
**

Meanwhile, at their headquarters, the Autobots were engaged in their own individual activities, when Blurr showed up unexpectedly. The blue racer never said a word, just marched straight up to the group, his face set in a hard expression. Optimus Prime, who was standing at their computer unit, was the first to notice him. "Blurr? What are you doing here?"

Seeing the blue bot's face, he asked tentatively, "Is…there a problem?"

"That-is-what-I-would-like-to-know-myself-Optimus-Prime." Blurr's voice was like ice.

Optimus looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"It-concerns-Melly. From-what-I-understand-you-seem-to-have-been-out-of-touch-with-her-lately."

"Out of touch?" Optimus repeated the words as though they were foreign.

"Don't-play-games-with-me." The other bots were surprised to hear Blurr speak this way to Optimus, for whom he'd always held the utmost respect. "Melly-told-me-herself-that-she-hasn't-spoken-to-any-of-you-in-several-consecutive-weeks," Blurr went on reproachfully. "Why-is-that? Am-I-correct-to-assume-you-have-all-ignored-her-completely-all-this-time?"

"No," Bumblebee quickly interjected. "We've just…" The younger bot faltered, unable to finish the sentence.

"You've-just-what?"

"We've just been giving her—what do they call it?—personal space," said Bulkhead softly. "That's all."

"Did-she-ask-for-personal-space?"

"We have been engaged in a great deal of work these last few weeks," Prowl insisted.

Blurr just scoffed at that. "Right. What-a-bunch-of-slag!"

"What are we, anyway, Melly's baby-sitters?" demanded Ratchet. "She doesn't need us hovering over her every five minutes."

"She-doesn't-need-you-to-treat-her-like-she's-nonexistent-either," Blurr shot back. From the way he was glaring at Ratchet, it was a miracle that a hole had not been burned right through Ratchet's steel plating. "What-is-the-matter-with-you-bunch-of-boltheads? I-thought-you-cared-about-Melly. I-thought-your-relationship-with-her-meant-something-to-you."

"That's not fair, Blurr," Bee protested, hurt at the insinuation.

"Of course we care about her," said Optimus, sounding just as hurt.

"You-have-a-very-funny-way-of-showing-it."

Before anyone had a chance to respond to this accusation, Sari appeared, as if out of nowhere, in obvious distress. "Guys!" she cried. "Oh, you guys!"

All optics immediately focused on her, included Blurr's. "What's wrong, Sari?" asked Bumblebee.

"It's Melly!" Sari's face was ashen, and her eyes shone diamond-bright with unshed tears.

"Melly?" Blurr repeated, feeling a jolt of alarm course through his hard drive. "What-about-Melly? What-happened?"

"Is she all right?" Optimus asked. His concern was genuine.

Hastily, Sari explained to them how Melly had collapsed that morning during business hours at her dad's industry. "She's been taken to the hospital," were her last words.

"Is she all right?" repeated Optimus.

Even in the world of robots, a spontaneous blackout was never a good sign.

"I don't know!" Sari wailed as her tears began to course down her cheeks. "They won't tell me anything!" Her voice broke off altogether, and she began to cry.

At first, no one knew what to say. A stunned silence settled over the entire group. Bumblebee and Bulkhead looked equally shocked. Even Ratchet and Prowl seemed troubled.

Blurr ended up being the one to speak first. "Where have they taken her?" he asked Sari slowly. "Which hospital?"

Brushing futilely at her eyes, Sari whimpered, "I—I don't know. I forgot to ask. My dad might know, since he was the one to call the ambulance."

Optimus said decidedly, "Then let's find your dad right now, and ask him."

* * *

"Melly? Melly? Can you hear me?"

Melly struggled through the layers of unconsciousness that enveloped her. When she reached the point where she was able to open her eyes, she saw Matthew's face directly above hers. It took her a minute to recognize him, because her eyesight was very poor; someone had removed her glasses. "Mat…thew?" Her voice sounded like that of a bullfrog with a cold.

"I'm here, Mel," her brother replied softly, his tone exceptionally gentle, similar to the tone Marc used with her as he tended to her whenever she'd been sick or hurt. "I'm here."

"Where am I? What happened?"

"In the hospital. You had a fainting spell this morning at your job."

"I passed out?"

"You lost it for a while." Matthew brushed his thumb across her cheek. "You okay, Mel? You gave me quite a scare."

"I don't know," Melly answered vaguely. "I don't know what came over me. One minute I was talking to Mr. Sumdac…and the next, it was like someone had killed the lights."

She thought she could see her brother smile, though his voice held little humor as he said, "Talk about cruel irony. First, you're the one visiting my sickbed; now it's the other way around."

It was cruel irony, all right. Melly tried to sit up, but the effort was too much, and she immediately sank back into her pillows.

"Take it easy, sis," Matthew said softly, placing his hand gently on her shoulder. "You need to save your strength—that is, what's left of it."

Melly didn't have the strength to even consider arguing. "What time is it, Matt?"

"Nine o' clock."

Surprised, stunned, Melly knitted her brows at him; that couldn't be right. "You mean to tell me I've been out all this time?"

"Like a burned-out bulb."

"And you stayed with me?"

"Every single minute, from the second I set foot in here."

"How did you get here in the first place?" Melly knew that her brother's leg wasn't completely healed, and that he was in hardly any condition to travel.

"I hitched a ride." Matthew didn't clarify.

It touched Melly to no small degree that he would come all this way to be with her, in spite of his own condition. "Thank you, Matt," was all she could find to say.

Matthew patted her hand gently in reply. "You sure you're all right?" he asked.

"I'm dog-tired." Even after being out cold for nearly twelve hours, Melly still felt like she'd run a thousand miles without reprieve, and every muscle in her body continued to throb. Right now, she only wanted to stay where she was, in that snug hospital bed with its clean, crisp sheets. She wondered if this was the way Sleeping Beauty felt in the fairy tale.

"Get some sleep, then," Matthew told her quietly. "You deserve it."

"Will you stay with me, Matt? At least until I'm asleep?"

He leaned down and kissed her tenderly on the forehead. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be, Mel."


	14. Chapter 14

**GOODBYE IS NOT FOREVER**

_Hello, everybody! I'm back from the dead! Well, this story is, anyway. Sheez, I can't believe this thing's been left untouched since January! Don't know what happened; somehow I got caught up in school and other writing affairs. _

_Well, here you are, with a new chapter. A short one, to be sure, but a chapter all the same. I'm feeling a bit rusty with my Transformers stories; it'll take a while to get the squeaky gears moving smoothly again.  
_

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**Characters (with exceptions) © Hasbro and Entertainment Rights**

**Story © unicorn-skydancer08**

**_All rights reserved. _**

* * *

**Chapter 14  
**

The next morning, Melly felt better. Even so, she was still considerably weak, and her doctor strongly advised her to take it nice and easy for the next few days.

Matthew reassured Melly he would help out more with the house, the finances, and everything else while she recuperated. "No need for either of us to shoulder the burden alone, sis," he said. "No need for you and me to go around collapsing on each other." Matthew's leg was still on the mend, but he'd recently found a way to earn a little extra money from the comforts of home.

Later that morning, Melly received a call from Mr. Sumdac. Mr. Sumdac, after making sure his young employee would be all right, gave her the rest of the week off from work, and the whole week after that. When Melly started to protest, he told her gently but firmly, "You need a break, Miss Manchester, and badly, too. I do not want you even _thinking _about work until you have made a full and complete recovery. That's an order from your boss!"

Inwardly, Melly was grateful.

It finally dawned on her that she'd gone too far, stretched herself too thin, bitten off more than she had the capacity to chew. The girl was surprised to learn from her doctor how much weight she'd lost over the last few weeks; she was also suffering from malnutrition and dehydration, and her blood pressure had risen significantly, too. For now, she was put on an IV, and a tranquilizer was administered to help her relax.

In the afternoon of the second day, she received a visitor. To her surprise, it was Blurr. The blue bot was much too big to fit in the tiny room, but he visited Melly through the open window. Melly sure was glad to see him, though she was also profoundly embarrassed that he had to see her this way. (What she didn't know until sometime later was that it was Blurr who'd chauffeured Matthew to the hospital.)

"Oh, Melly…sweetie, are you okay?" Blurr asked solicitously. The love and concern in his face and tone touched Melly's heart.

"As you can see, I'm not," she replied abashedly. "Not really."

"What happened to you?"

"Turns out I overloaded myself." Glancing at the IV sticking out of her arm, Melly added ruefully, "Big time."

Blurr shook his head. "Why didn't you talk to me sooner?" He didn't seem the least bit angry, but it was obvious he was disappointed. It almost made Melly want to cry on the spot. "I'd already told you that you were free to contact me anytime, anywhere, if you ever had a problem or desired company. I'd made it clear I was ready to give my help when needed. Why did you shut me out for so long?"

Melly felt her face grow hot, and she hung her head.

"I—I didn't want to badger you, Blurr. I didn't want to take up too much of your time. You already have plenty of other things to worry about besides me, and not just the Elite Guard. You have a life, a world of your own. I didn't want to be a nuisance."

Blurr regarded the girl with optics full of heartbreaking sorrow. It was a minute or two before he could speak, and then it was in an especially slow, soft tone. "How can you say that, Mel? How can you even think it? You could _never_ be a nuisance to me."

Melly closed her eyes for a moment, almost wishing the bed would swallow her. And Blurr was far from finished.

"Don't you know that _you _are my first and foremost priority?" he asked. "Do you truly believe you're just something I casually consult at random? I love you, Melly. I care about what you go through. What matters to you matters to me, too."

Melly said nothing, but she felt a hot spring of tears well up.

"Your father was a friend of mine," Blurr continued. "I regret his loss, too. To this day, I still find it impossible to believe what happened really happened. Knowing he was _your_ father makes it even worse. I want to help you through this, in any way possible…but I can't if you won't let me. You shouldn't be afraid to ask for help if you truly need it."

A lump the size of a fist swelled in Melly's throat, while guilt pierced her heart like the needle that pierced her arm.

"I'm sorry, Blurr," was all she could find to say. "I'm so sorry."

Blurr managed to slip one hand through the window, where he gently rubbed the girl's cheek with a single white finger. "I don't want anything to happen to you," he told her softly. "You had me, all of us, worried to death. Thank Primus you're all right."

With a lopsided smile, Melly commented, "Who would have guessed a big bot like you would go all soft for a puny human like me?"

He managed a slight smile, too. Just before he withdrew his hand, Melly took hold of his finger and placed a light kiss on it.

When Blurr was eventually compelled to leave, he said, "You get well soon, you hear?"

Melly heard, all right. "I'll do my best," she replied. She paused briefly before adding, "And I'll try to do better from now on."

"Good," Blurr said, "because I'm not leaving this city until you are well again." Though the speedster didn't say it aloud, he had no intentions of_ ever_ leaving Melly alone again.


End file.
